The Lower Marais is a bit starved for excellent bakeries, but head up towards rue de Bretagne, and you’ll find some of my favorites, from classic Tout Autour du Pain to Italian-inflected Brigat‘. And now, Petite Ile is adding to the offering with a fusion approach that more than delivers on technique and flavor.
Petite Ile is a Franco-Taiwanese bakery in the 3rd known for its sourdough breads and not-too-sweet pastries inspired by Taiwan, Denmark, and more. This bakery is apparently known for its croissant, but I visited several times, and it was systematically sold out. No matter: The rest of the offerings are fantastic as well.
The sourdough mission behind this bakery is clear if you have a look at the back wall, where all manner of rustic country breads are on offer. A fruit-laced rye loaf and honey-infused artisanal sandwich bread both looked interesting, but we were ultimately too curious about the Long Fermentation loaf (3.50 price), which is sold as a small, whole boule.
It more than delivered on flavor, with yeast-forward vibes that would almost convince a San Franciscan. The crust was crispy, the crumb almost eggy. Rien à dire, as the French would say.
We also decided to try a roll from the small savory offerings, which on the day of our visit included a vegan sandwich (6) filled with eggplant, tomato, and spicy miso as well as a dry-cured ham sandwich (6) with Aveyronnais ham and truffle oil. The sandwiches are a bit small for the price, and the other savory options, like a Danish seeded bun (2.50) with butter (+1) or cheese (+1.60) are a bit more affordable.
The double cheese bun (3.50) was just as yeasty as the loaf, packed with two kinds of cheese, loads of scallions, and maybe even a touch of mustard. I can only imagine that a few minutes warming in the oven would really make it sing.
Also in the more savory category of goods, we tried a melon pan (3.20) which you can have with or without butter (+1).
This simple bread is exquisitely feather-light with a crispy bottom and a yeasty rather than lactic flavor. We had it plain, which is obviously a rookie mistake. We’ve since learned our lesson.
Moving into the sweeter offerings, the sesame brioche (5) was ostensibly swirled with butter and milk. The sesame kind of got lost in the shuffle, and the flavor was above all dominated by a sort of caramelized white chocolate vibe. Not unpleasant, but not our favorite.
A chocolate sourdough was just barely sweetened, and the excellent-quality chocolate chips did all of the heavy lifting. We were given this mini-loaf to taste by the man behind the counter, who let us know it’s usually sold in a larger format, and now I keep dreaming of getting a loaf, toasting a slice, and slathering it with buttery Brillat-Savarin cheese (though salted butter would also probably be amazing).
I’ve saved the best for last: the viennoiseries. They’ve got all of the French classics, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to the more creative offerings.
The Viennoiserie danoise (4) is inspired by Danish creations: topped generously with poppy seeds and filled with a generous but not overwhelming amount of almond filling, which iswonderfully reinforced with bitter almond extract to make it pop.
The lamination is excellent, with loads of buttery flavor without the greasiness. I absolutely adored this one.
The sesame pain au chocolat (4) is the house special, and even as someone who’s not always all that convinced by chocolate, I had to admit that it was really something else.
The same buttery pastry is filled, this time, with a sesame-spiked almond paste that’s well-balanced, if a bit subtle on sesame flavor. But the real genius here is in swapping out the bars of dark chocolate more typical of a pain au chocolat for excellent-quality dark chocolate chips, which provide better balance than the bars might and keep the pastry from becoming cloying.
A handful of seats line the narrow shop, and if you time your visit just right, you might even score one and get the chance to enjoy your goodies on-site. (Though fair warning: This place is hipster central, and this will definitely color whatever conversations you overhear!)
Petite Ile – 8, rue des Filles du Calvaire 75003